Anatomy of a Flop

Rating: 4/10 (31 July 2005)

After 2 weeks of release, The Island looks like it will probably the biggest flop of 2005. Where did they go wrong?
1. The director, Michael Bay, specializes in mindless action films like Bad Boys and The Rock. Letting him make a film that actually has a plot was a big mistake. The directing is sloppy and does not have much thought. While that works for lots of films, it does not go well with science fiction.
2. There were no well known actors in the film. Ewan McGregor is a decent actor, but he does not have the presence to carry a film. Scarlett Johanson has done very well in quirky independent films, but she is terrible in this action film.
3. The script is poor, despite an interesting premise. The dialog was so dull, I cannot remember a single line. The mindless chase scenes got boring and were not credible.
4. There was about 10 minutes in the middle that had a few jokes, but otherwise this film was done with a straight face. It wasn't good enough to be a serious film and it wasn't fun enough to make it as a popcorn flick.
If "The Island" keeps it's place as the biggest flop of 2005, it serves the movie studio right for not putting any thought into such a big budget film.